Do you use the room's rig or take your own?

[lojo]

If I go into a room , the rehearsal is generally for arrangements, and making sure things work in the song , so if I don't have an amp that sounds as good as Id like it's not really that much of issue that I'd make the effort to load and unload my own.

Same as if the drum kit is a bit dull, I know the drummer will sound better at gigs on his own kit, no sweat really

[casapete]

Only done this once recently, and regretted it! Played at a charity organised by a friend of mine at large city hall. Got there mid afternoon to soundcheck,with my bass rig in the car outside to be used if necessary. There was a Fender bass combo (cant remember which one) on stage available, so played the soundcheck with it and thought it would be okay for the gig later, saving me a long load in! Of course, the gig was a completely different scenario to the soundcheck, levels from all other stuff onstage a lot higher. Plus all the previous bands had obviously encountered the same thing, meaning poor little combo had taken a right hammering all night. We were last on, so by that time the speaker was flapping like mad, ruining for me what should have been a jolly set. So lesson learnt for me...........

Edited April 20, 2013 by casapete

[JTUK]

Also depends if there is a charge for using the kit.
Two regular paces we use, one has a HH combo with a 15 and a half decent Ashdown combo...
I never know what state they are going to be in ...
You can look at the EQ stage and you just know that it is maxxed up for the volume of a previous band.
You have no idea what pedals they have used to get more level out of the thing as these people can't know what they are doing.
These rigs are abused, IMO... so you can never trust them being useable at the best of times..and they are often out of commission
The other place charges extra for a low volume combo.. single 12" thing
and that is not going to be worth using, let alone paying for.

I'd rather throw in my lightweight rig and know there is just not an issue with the bass.
We use rehearsals to get the final track together...so it is going to be the finished article pretty much..
so we need to know ..all round.. if it is going to work.

Edited April 20, 2013 by JTUK

[xgsjx]

That's a good point.

Also, if you're in a newly formed band & haven't played with any of the other musicians, having a good sound to start with makes you want to play.
Whereas if 1/2 the band sound crap, regardless of playing abilities, things aren't going to be too inspiring & things might not last long.

[mcnach]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1366398136' post='2052171']
Occasionally I've used the room's rig, but most often I take my combo as too often I find the lump there is only good for making sounds similar to farting in a didgeridoo.

The last place I was in had a Line 6 thing with dodgy sockets, the place before that has either some old Peavey thing or a worn out Hartke (that looks like it's been good in the 80s, but needs to retire) plugged into an SWR 4x10 with the drivers removed & a 15" driver bolted to the back of the board they was on & the place we're going next looks like it has a Peavey TNT (woooohooo!!!!).

I can understand the singer & keys/turntablist using the PA that's in there &maybe even the drummer using the basics of the kit, but why would the rest of the band want to use the stuff if their own gear is better (other than lazyitis)?

My band's just formed & the drummer's just bought a new kit. The guitarist said "you're not taking the whole kit are you", to which me & the drummer replied "why not, it needs tuned up". Then he asked if I can leave my combo behind & just use the rig that's in there. My reply was "I'll ask what they have, but if it's the TNT, then No".

Maybe I should ask him to bring his rig? He hasn't so far & wasn't happy with the rig in the last room.

Fair enough we're just getting together & only had a couple of sesh's together, but isn't getting your sound right just as important as getting the song right?


So when you go to rehearsal/practice/jam, do you use what's there or do you take your own amp/cab/combo?
[/quote]


It depends.

If an amp is provided and (as in most cases for me) it's really only needed as my own personal monitor... then I use what's there, unless we are playing for two hours, or I know parking is easy and accessible etc.

I played on Thursday and Friday at the "Deadinburgh" show (google it, it was fun ). We set up up on a narrow balcony that we needed to access by climbing a steep spiral staircase, that's after a few more stairs just to get to that floor (big building). Another band is playing today and tomorrow and I know them too and they were having bass amp difficulties. I offered to leave mine for them. So, between the place, access and the idea of leaving it behind... I took my Hartke A100 combo. Tilted back in front of me. Not incredibly loud but it did the job, and I was able to carry all my things in one go.

For our album launch next weekend, I am bringing my "proper" rig.

For rehearsals, I tend to take my head. If I can plug it in, great. If not, because all they have is a combo without a way to connect a separate head through it... then I use that combo.

Edited April 20, 2013 by mcnach

[mcnach]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1366401579' post='2052266']
I would have thought that if the guitarist has a rig sitting at home, uses whatever is provided in rehearsal & then fetches out his own rig for a gig & the guitar sounds completely different through it, then where's the logic?

I've seen bands that could play, but sounded guff as they hadn't spent any time with the gear that they used at the gig (one was actually quite a good blues band).

My band isn't a rock band, more down the lines of acid jazz & I think having a good sound to the groove will get folk dancing more than playing with a poor sound.
[/quote]


Sounding different with another rig?
Sure.
THAT different? Not really. I mean, not that different that a couple of minutes won't be enough to adjust. The sound will have to be adjusted to each room anyway.

I found that something positive rehearsing in different places with different gear is that you learn to adapt.

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 18, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[rOB]

I tend to take my head for the pre amp growl and eq. Then line out into the effects return of the rehearsal room rig or into the cabinet.

I like to walk to rehearsal (and gigs sometimes) but have a bit of assurance that I'll have something that sounds good.

[discreet]

I [i]always [/i]take my own gear. Why spend God knows how much time and money getting the kit you want and then not use it? Rehearsal gear takes a right old battering in any case and is generally pants. [size=4]If you're happy to use a shonky rig at rehearsal, why did you buy decent gear?[/size]

[mrdreadful]

Depends if I can get a lift or not.

Either way it's all Peavey. I disapprove of the anti-Peavey undercurrent in this thread.

[Cameronj279]

I use the rooms rig for 3 reasons.

1. I can't afford a decent rig.

2. I would have no way to transport it.

3. The place I practice has an Ampeg Svt 8x10 and svt heads so I have no need to

[LiamPodmore]

I always use the rehearsal rooms cabs, with my own head, partly due to not owning any cabs myself yet, and because they're decent. One room has a Peavey 1x15, and the other i've used has a nice SVT 8x10.

Liam

[BigRedX]

I would never plug my very nice amp into an unknown cab. Especially one in a rehearsal room. Can someone please explain to me wht this practice is considered acceptable.

[stingrayPete1977]

In what way unknown? Ohm value our just if it generally works ok? If it works with the house amp and is the correct ohmage I'd use it.

[Telebass]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1366487756' post='2053221']
I [i]always [/i]take my own gear. Why spend God knows how much time and money getting the kit you want and then not use it? Rehearsal gear takes a right old battering in any case and is generally pants. [size=4]If you're happy to use a shonky rig at rehearsal, why did you buy decent gear?[/size]
[/quote]
This.

[Jayben]

Because I've got my Marshall combo is a bit on the heavy side and I don't drive, I can't always use it as often as I'd like.. I am looking for a way to disassemble it and have the head unit from the cab unit, although I think I'll have to take a saw to it.. Interesting enough.

I don't mind using house rigs/other peoples gear, as long as I can hear myself and get a half-decent tone I'm not that fussy.

[xgsjx]

My amp doesn't give me my sound. My pedals & my bass does that, so as ling as the amp can put out a clean signal & doesn't fart, then I'm fine with that.
However, the rooms that we've been going to have all been different (just whatever one we can get to fit our times), so I usually have no idea what's in there.

The guitarist used the drive channel on all the occasions so far & each did sound very different. That's something I can't see the point of.


The studio we're going to is a little cramped for 5 people & I've found out that the room has a Fender Bassman head & an "unknown" cab (I phoned the studio to ask) so I'll probably use that.
My combo's a 1 hand lift, so I'll chuck it in the back of the car & if the cab they have is a farter, then I can use mine.
We always book for a min of 2 hours & there's ample parking at all the rooms (whether here or Dundee).

[uncle psychosis]

Maybe its just me, but I don't recognise any of these practise rooms or venues that many of you are describing. Practice rooms round here have decent gear and look after it. If they didn't, people wouldn't use them.

Personally, as a bass player---and given what I've said above---I don't ever take my own amplification to a rehearsal. I don't use lots of effects, and, in a small rehearsal room, once the guitarist and drummer get going one bass amp sounds much the same as another bass amp. Carting my own amp in would be a waste of time. Sure, for a gig where you're worried about FoH sound and you want the best sound quality for your audience then use your own gear, but for practising? No need, unless you're doing something very effects driven or perhaps if you're in a small jazz/funk group where there is less going on elsewhere.

I can't help but feel that lots of folks are just a little too precious about their gear. "I need to get MY sound"...but wander over to youtube and you'll see hundreds of videos of guys like Wooten, Satriani, Marcus Miller etc playing through any old amp at clinics and roadshows and they still sound exactly like themselves. A slightly differently voiced amp at a rehearsal 'aint going to kill you.

[discreet]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1366552942' post='2053877']
...one bass amp sounds much the same as another bass amp...
[/quote]

I have to disagree. I'm not precious about 'my' sound, but I am precious about 'a' sound, and it's more difficult to get that sound with [i]some [/i]rehearsal room gear. OK, if they've got an SVT rig in there fair enough, but it's usually something I just won't get on with.

I appreciate you might want to use house gear if you've got no transport, but if you have, then I don't see the problem.

[Jus Lukin]

.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Jus Lukin

[Lozz196]

The only thing I`ve found in rehearsal rooms in days gone by was that the provided rigs were usually 100 watt 1x15 solid-state combos, so it didn`t matter what they sounded like, they couldn`t be heard anyway.

Nowadays the amps seem to be of a much better standard, but I still always use my gear.

[TomWIC]

It depends what we're doing in the rehearsal room. If we're recording, I take my rig as I want the best possible sound. If we're rehearsing for a set, I take my rig for the same reasons. I always take my rig to shows and other bands are welcome to use it if they wish. If we're just having a reduced volume jam or writing session, I'm happy to use the room's cabinet.

I refrain from using other people's cabs and the rehearsal room cabs as much possible, mainly out of respect. My amp head, when cranked at a high volume as it usually is, puts out enough power to easily blow underpowered 8ohm cabs and I don't particularly want that on my conscience or my bank balance!

[discreet]

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1366626226' post='2054921']
House gear can be a good opportunity to experiment and explore, it isn't [i]all[/i] a buzzing, crackling, fire hazard!
[/quote]

Obviously I've been unlucky then. While nothing has actually burst into flames (no Ashdowns!) the rooms I've used have mostly been either small Markbass rigs or Ampeg or Hartke combos, so no opportunity to try out anything interesting. No disrespect at all to those three manufacturers btw, just the wrong gear for the job under the circumstances.

Edited April 22, 2013 by discreet

[Ziphoblat]

I've got a nice portable lightweight rig (GB Shuttle 6.0 + Barefaced S12T/V) and I can set that up and have it sounding good faster than I can get a usable sound out of an amp I've never encountered before in my life. If we've been to a rehearsal studio before and I know that they have an amp there that I find acceptable/usable then I won't bother bringing my own, but as it happens that's never occurred yet. Usually some farty Ashdown thing or a decrepit Peavey combo that isn't worth bothering with. In terms of gigs, I'll only gig with my own rig.

[Highfox]

We have permanent unshared rooms for our rehearsals, so our Pa and gear stays there till we gig. The only problem is I'm in 2 bands, so have to have a separate rig at each place,